A350XWB more than catch-up effort | Aviation International News

A350XWB more than catch-up effort

Airbus has made virtue of a necessity with its new A350XWB (extra widebody) airliner.

By Charles Alcock • Managing Editor

June 8, 2007

Airbus has made virtue of a necessity with its new A350XWB (extra widebody) airliner. The company admits it was outmaneuvered by Boeing with the rapid success of the rival 787 program and Airbus very much needs to prove to the market that it is offering something more than just a catch-up product. At the same time, after the production debacle with the A380 airliner, it needs to prove to its shareholders and customers that it is fit to manage another complex program.

Three weeks before the Paris Air Show, the new Airbus program received a welcome boost in the form of a major new order from Qatar Airways. At a high-profile ceremony in the French capital with the country’s new president, Nicolas Sarkozy, the fast-growing Middle Eastern carrier signed a contract for 80 A350XWBs.

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